No plenary until Speaker resigns – Ondo Assembly

Mr Olatunji Ifabiyi, the spokesperson for the Ondo State House of Assembly, says the Assembly will not hold plenary until the Speaker, Olamide Oladiji, resigns.

Ifabiyi, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Akure, reiterated that the majority of the lawmakers were in support of the Speaker’s removal.

The Assembly has been in crisis following a call for the Speaker’s resignation for the alleged unilateral reordering of the Ondo State Oil Producing Development Commission (OSOPADEC) 2025 budget of N9.2 billion.

NAN reports that 21 of the 26 members of the Assembly had signed a resolution to impeach the Speaker if he failed to resign.

“We have resolved not to hold plenary until there is a change of speaker.

“For now, there is no development except that Mr Speaker should just give way and allow another person to preside over the Ondo State House of Assembly.

“If he doesn’t resign, we will impeach him. If he fails to do the needful, we will do the needful,” he said.

The spokesperson, who did not disclose when the Assembly would convene for plenary, stated that he was not aware of any meeting on Sunday with the state executive in resolving the crisis.

Ifabiyi also said that the allegation of assassination on a member of the Assembly had been reported to the appropriate authorities for investigation.

Speaking to NAN, a principal officer of the Assembly, who spoke on anonymity, said that the state executive had intervened in the crisis.

“There was a peace broker yesterday (Sunday) with the executive, and we are not permitted to disclose details of the outcome of the meeting.

“I don’t want to be the first to breach the agreement. But I can tell you that the matter has been resolved, but I will not tell you if it was in anyone’s favour.

“We too implore internal mechanisms on the agitations in the House of the Assembly, and we are going to hold plenary soon,” he stated. (NAN)